Combination picture frame stand and hanger



Jan. 22, 1963 R. H. STEWART COMBINATION PICTURE FRAME STAND AND HANGERFiled Sept. 7, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 22, 1963 R. H. STEWART3,074,630

COMBINATI ON PICTURE FRAME STAND AND HANGER Filed Sept. '7, 1960 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. RALPH H. JTEW487' United States Patent3,074,680 COMBINATIGN PICTURE FRAME STAND AND HANGER Ralph H. Stewart,7135 N. Swift Blvd., Portland, Oreg. Filed Sept. 7, 1960, Ser. No.54,463 2 Claims. (Ci. 243-224) This invention relates to a novelcombination stand and hanger assembly for picture frames.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a practical andefficient assembly of the kind indicated, which provides for hanging ofpicture frames on walls and other vertical supports, and for proppingthe frames at angles on horizontal supports.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a simple andinexpensive assembly of the character indicated above which is composedof a wall-mounted hanger bracket, and a stand strip, adapted to besecured to a picture frame, which is slidably, frictionally, andsupportably engaged with the bracket for hanging the frame for verticaladjustment of the picture frame on the wall,

and which, when disengaged from the bracket, serves as a prop for thepicture frame on a horizontal support.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hanger bracket of thecharacter indicated above which has provision for the wire hanging ofpicture frames, with the stand strip removed.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention willbe apparent from the following description and the accompanyingdrawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form ofthe invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of a combination stand andhanger of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view showing a picture frame hung on a wall bymeans of said assembly, vertical adjustments of the frame being shown infull and in phantom lines;

FIGURE 3 is a rear perspective view of a picture frame, showing the samepropped on a horizontal support by means of the stand strip component ofthe as sembly;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged plan view of the blank from which the hangerbracket is formed;

FIGURE 5 is a front elevation of the formed hanger bracket;

FIGURE 6 is a further enlarged vertical transverse section taken on theline 66 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a still further enlarged and contracted vertical transversesection taken on the line 77 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on the line 88 ofFIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a rear perspective view of a picture frame equipped with amodified form of stand strip;

FIGURE 10 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical transverse section showingin detail securement of the stand strip of FIGURE 9;

FIGURES 11 and 12 are views like FIGURE 10, showing alternativesecurements of stand strips to picture frames; and

FIGURE 13 is a front elevation of the hanger bracket in use for hanginga picture frame by means of a wire hanger on the frame.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like and related numeralsdesignate like and related parts throughout the several views, and firstto FIGURES 1 through 3, the illustrated stand and hanger combination,generally designated 20, consists of a hanger bracket 22, and a standstrip 24.

The hanger bracket 22 is preferably formed from a single blank B ofrigid sheet metal or plastic having limited resilience. The blank B hasa vertically elongated parallel sided main portion 26, whose ends arepreferably rounded, and whereat centered nail holes 28 are provided.Extending from the side edges 30 of the main portion 26 are centeredwings 32, which have horizontal lower edges 34, parallel vertical outerfree edges 36, and downwardly and laterally inwardly angled upper edges38. The meetings of the upper edges 38 with the side edges 30 of themain portion 26 define notches 40, when bent forwardly and inwardly, forreceiving picture frame hanging wire 41, as shown in FIG- URE 13, forhanging a picture frame not equipped with a stand strip 24.

As shown in FIGURES 4, 5 and 6, the wings 32 are bent forwardly,relative to the main portion 26, along vertical lines 42 coinciding withits side edges 30, and bent laterally inwardly along vertical lines 44,which are parallel to the lines 42, so that there are produced spacerportions 46 which extend forwardly from the main portion, and ears 48which are parallel to and spaced forwardly from the main portion. Thefree edges 36 of the ears 48 are spaced from each other at a substantialdistance transversely of the main portion 26.

The hanger bracket 22 further comprises a pendant tongue 50 which isformed centrally in the main portion 26, midway between and exposedbetween the ears 48. The tongue 50 is formed by a cut 52 in the blank B,and is bent forwardly out of the plane of the blank on an upperhorizontal line 54, and downwardly on a lower line 56, into parallelforwardly spaced relation to the main portion 26, as shown in FIGURE 6,and in rearwardly spaced relation to the ears 48. The tongue 50 is giventhese relationships so as to serve to space a stand strip forwardly fromthe main portion, so that the stand strip cannot make undesirablecontact with the heads 58 of nails 60 down through the holes 28 and intoa wall W for supporting the hanger bracket on the wall, as shown inFIGURE 7. The spacing of the tongue 50 from the rear sides of the cars48 provides a vertical slideway which is calculated to produce africtional and sliding fit on a stand strip 24.

The stand strip 24 is an elongated fiat relatively thin parallel sidedbar of metal or plastic, having limited resilience, and has a bowed orconcavo-convex cross section, as shown in FIGURE 8, for added rigidityand for endowing the strip with greater spring tension relative to thetongue 50 and the cars 48, when the strip 24 is inserted downwardlytherebetween, as shown in FIG- URES 7 and 8. When so inserted, theconvex rear side 62 of the strip bears forcibly and frictionally againstthe front side of the tongue, and the side edges 64 of the strip havesimilar supporting engagement with the rear sides of the cars 48, sothat the strip 24 is held in a desired vertically adjusted position inthe hanger bracket 22, for supporting a picture frame 66 at a desiredlevel on the Wall 25.

The picture frame 66, shown in FIGURES 2, 3 and 7, is of the tall orvertically elongated type and has an upper horizontal cross member 68,to which the stand strip 24 is secured. The form of stand strip shown inFIGURES 1 to 8 has, for this purpose a lateral rightangled flat lug 70,formed on its upper end and provided with a slot 72 extending toward thefull end 74 of the one lug. The lug is loosely engaged over the middleof the upper surface 76 of the frame cross member 68, and a screw-eye 78is engaged through the slot 72 and threaded into the cross member, withthe eye 80 of the screw-eye spaced above the lug, so that the standstrip 24, when disengaged from the hanger bracket 22, can be angledrearwardly relative to the back of the picture frame 66, as shown inFIGURE 3, for propping the frame at an angle on a horizontal support S.If desired, the stand strip 24 can be substantially shorter than thepicture frame and shorter than the length shown, with a correspondinglysmaller range of vertical adjustment relative to the hanger bracket 22.The stand strip, as shown in FIGURE 7, is slightly forwardly bowed, sothat when the same is engaged in the hanger bracket 22, the upper andlower ends of the strip bear against the wall 25 and preclude rocking ofthe picture frame 66 relative to the wall 25.

The form of stand strip shown in FIGURES 9 and 10, and designated 24 isespecially but not exclusively, adapted for a short or horizontallyelongated picture frame 66*. The lug 70, instead of being rigid with theupper end of the strip 24 is horizontally hinged thereon, as indicatedat 32, with the pin 84 of the hinge located above the lug 70 The lug 70is secured to the underside of the frame cross member 68 and is fixed inplace by means of a nail 86 extending upwardly through a hole 88provided-in the lug, in a position so that the hinge 82 is at the rearside of the cross member, as shown in FIGURE 10. The stand strip 24 ispreferably of a length such that the same can fold into the recess 90 inthe back of the picture frame 66*.

The stand strip 24 of FIGURE 11, is similar to the stand strip 24 ofFIGURES 9 and 10, but is secured upon the upper surface 76 of the"picture frame cross member 68 The stand strip 24 of FIGURE 12 issimilar to those of FIGURES 9 to 11, but its lug 70 is secured to therear side 92 of the cross member 68 of the picture frame 66.

With any of the stand strips engaged downwardly in the hanger bracket22, the desired height of a picture frame secured to the strip isobtained simply by forcing the picture frame upwardly or downwardly, soas to overcome the frictional engagement of the strip in the hangerbracket. Upon release of such force the frictional engagement of thestrip and bracket is sufficient to hold the adjustment. I

While mounting of the hanger bracket 22 on the wall W and the standstrip lugs on picture frame cross members has been shown herein as bymeans of nails, any other suitable means can be'employed, such ascontact cement backings, or the use of adhesive tape.

Although there have been shown and described herein preferred for-ms ofthe invention, it is to be understood that the invention is notnecessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in thestructure of and in the relative arrangement of components thereof arecontemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined bythe claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A hanger bracket comprising a slideway adapted to be fixed to avertical support, a vertically elongated resilient strip slidably andfrictionally engaged in the slideway, said strip being forwardly bowedbetween its ends, said strip having upper and lower ends located aboveand below the slideway adapted to bear against the support, and means onthe strip above the slideway for connection to an object to be supportedby the bracket.

2. A hanger bracket comprising a slideway adapted to be fixed to avertical support, a vertically elongated resilient strip slidably andfrictionally engaged in the slideway, said strip being forwardly bowedbetween its ends, said strip having upper and lower ends located aboveand below the slideway adapted to bear against the support, and means onthe strip above the slideway foiconnection to an object to be supportedby the bracket, said slideway comprising .a main portion having meansfor securement to a support, a pair of laterally spaced elements on saidmain portion having laterally inwardly extending ears spaced outwardlyfrom said main portion, an outwardly projecting tongue on said mainportion reaching at least part way to the ears, said strip being engagedbetween the tongue and the inner surfaces of the ears.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS274,774 Hu-feland Mar. 27, 1883 1,185,298 Everett May 30, 1916 1,638,672Walsh -2. Aug. 9, 1917 1,720,309 Wakefield '.--a July 9, 1929 2,016,942Horwitt et a1. Oct. 18, 1935 2,103,106 Yurkovitch Dec. 21, 19372,294,076 Deuter Aug. 25, 1942 2,450,465 Bratburd Oct. 5, 1948 2,530,892Mayo 3- Nov. 21, 1950 2,559,099 West July 3, 1951

2. A HANGER BRACKET COMPRISING A SLIDEWAY ADAPTED TO BE FIXED TO A VERTICAL SUPPORT, A VERTICALLY ELONGATED RESILIENT STRIP SLIDABLY AND FRICTIONALLY ENGAGED IN THE SLIDEWAY, SAID STRIP BEING FORWARDLY BOWED BETWEEN ITS ENDS, SAID STRIP HAVING UPPER AND LOWER ENDS LOCATED ABOVE AND BELOW THE SLIDEWAY ADAPTED TO BEAR AGAINST THE SUPPORT, AND MEANS ON THE STRIP ABOVE THE SLIDEWAY FOR CONNECTION TO AN OBJECT TO BE SUPPORTED BY THE BRACKET, SAID SLIDEWAY COMPRISING A MAIN PORTION HAVING MEANS FOR SECUREMENT TO A SUPPORT, A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED ELEMENTS ON SAID MAIN PORTION HAVING LATERALLY INWARDLY EXTENDING EARS SPACED OUTWARDLY FROM SAID MAIN PORTION, AN OUTWARDLY PROJECTING TONGUE ON SAID MAIN PORTION REACHING AT LEAST PART WAY TO THE EARS, SAID STRIP BEING ENGAGED BETWEEN THE TONGUE AND THE INNER SURFACES OF THE EARS. 